Center for Mediterranean Religions

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Studies on Religions and Nonviolence

TheCenterforMediterraneanReligionsatAUSisascientificcenterthatintendhighlightstheimportantofthereligiousfactor onthedailylifeoftheMediterraneanregions.Webringtogetherpeoplefromvariouspartoftheworldandinterestedabout thetopictobecomeengagedinresearchesandprojecttorethinktherelationshipbetweenreligion,nation,andstate throughout the Mediterranean basin from early modernity to the present.

TheCenterisaninterdisciplinaryacademicspaceofresearchanddialoguebetweenreligiousandnonreligiousscholars andstudentsfromdifferentbackgroundstodiscussandunderstandthecomplexrelationshipbetweenreligionandthe public sphere in general, and between religion and violence and nonviolence in particular. Nonviolenceisnotonlyanethicalprinciplebutalsoaholisticvisionandaninclusivestyleofthoughtandlife:from theologytoecologyandfromphilosophytopolitics.Nonviolenceisthetopicofthefuture,evenmore,thereisnofuture withoutnonviolence,withoutourcapacitytoadoptnonviolentwaysofthinkingandacting.Itisasurvivalemergencyfor humanityandtheplanet,whereviolenceisdominantindifferentlevelsandforms:internationalconflicts,civilwars, terrorism,climatechange,massiveimmigration,hatespeech,antisemitism,islamophobia,extinctionofculturesand species…Itseemsthatourglobalsystemisfoundedonviolenceandneedsacollectivecriticalreflectionforradical change. TheCenterorganizesseminars,masterprograms,workshops,conferences,courses…tocreatenetworksandgroupsof research, from different religions, disciplines, and perspectives, which includes: 1.TheologiansfromtheMediterraneanregionandbeyond(Judaism,Christianity,Islam,Hinduism,Buddhism…), expertsindifferentdisciplinesoftheology:theologyofreligions,moraltheology,politicaltheology,practical theology … believers from different religions: agnostics and people without a religious affiliation; 2.Philosophers from different fields of philosophy: political philosophy, moral philosophy, philosophy of religion… 3.Politicalscientists,politicaltheorists,expertsofInternationalrelations,sociologists,anthropologists,pedagogists, psychologists…

Main topicsModernity and DemocracyModernityhasforcedreligionstolose,graduallyandindifferentways,controloverthepublicsphere,despitevariousattemptsofrecoveryand repositioning."Fundamentalism"isoneofmanypossibleanswerstomodernchallenges.Canwefindotheranswersthatguaranteemorefreedom, justice,andpeaceintheglobalizedworld?Thecrisisofreligionsinthemodernworldinterrogatestheconceptofreligionitself:Whatisitssocial andpoliticalmission?Whatdoesreligionoffertodayinthepublicsphere?Canwereconcilethesecularstatewithreligiousvaluesand principles?Whatdoesreligionoffer?Canreligionbeapositiveandconstructiveelementinpoliticallife,respectingthesecularstateasanethical principle of justice and equality, and above all as a condition for democracy?Nonviolence Therelationshipbetweenreligionsandnonviolenceknewalandmarkmoment,i.e.theGandhianmoment,whichhasradicallyraisedtheissueof nonviolenceinanewway.Wehadtowaitforthetwentiethcenturytohavethiskindofawareness.Humankindexperiencedbeforenonviolent foretastes,representedinthebehaviorofindividualsandgroupsthathavechosennonviolenceasaprincipleandawayoflife,butmodernity madethecaseurgent.MahatmaGandhi(d.1948)himselfderivedhisintellectualandpoliticalapproachto“peacefulresistance”,Satyagraha, fromancientrootsastheAhimsaprincipleinHinduismandJainism.Thisnewdimensioninthetwentiethcenturywouldnothavebeenwithouta series of circumstances that prompted the human conscience to reach a moment of awareness and need for a comprehensive nonviolent vision.Today,nonviolenceisnotonlyresistancebutalsobuildingdemocracyandactivecivilsociety,withnonviolenttoolsandmethodologiesof changing.